When I first heard the news that Gord Downie had succumbed to his illness it felt as if I had lost a close friend. Having never held a conversation or even shaken hands with him, I could not comprehend why such a feeling of profound sadness had washed over me. It wasn’t until after I took a deep dive into Downie and The Tragically Hip’s music catalogue over the next couple of days that it occurred to me why the news of his passing seemed to hit so hard.

I remember getting off the bus after school when I was young in Bethany. I’d head across the street to the library, which also happened to be the municipal office. There, I would get free access to surf the web. Then it was dial-up, today, when you see students congregating outside of the Bancroft Public Library, you know they’re there for the same, except now it’s Wi-Fi.